Wallboard, particularly drywall (sheetrock) is the most common material for the interior of residential and commercial buildings. It is widely available, relatively inexpensive, easily installed and somewhat fire retardant. It is, however, relatively easily damaged. Drywall is commonly installed by attaching it to wall “studs”, nominally 2 inch×4 inch or 2 inch×6 inch wooden vertical boards (or shaped metal members). The wall “studs” are typically spaced on sixteen (16) or twenty four (24) inch centers. Steel framing is increasing being used in office and apartment construction and has several advantages over wood. Steel studs are perfectly straight, don't shrink or split and are light weight and easy to store, plus they resist fire, insects and rot. They are also easier to move/correct for amateurs. The overall cost between steel framing and wood framing is about the same. For the present invention it does not matter if the wall studs are steel or wood.
Wallboard (dry wall) is prone to damage between wall studs. Damage generally comes from the wallboard being struck by an object, from water leaks or from remodeling requirements.
Many effective methods for repairing drywall damage have been proposed and there have been numerous patents disclosing and claiming various means for wallboard repair. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,263, Apr. 30, 2002 there is disclosed a device that that is screwed into the wallboard at the side of the opening to be patched. This patent discloses a number of additional patents for wallboard repair. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,404, Apr. 5, 1994 discloses a patching kit having a backing plate that is secured to the backside of the wallboard with an adhesive. This patent also discloses a number of additional wallboard repair patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,331, May 28, 1991 discloses a hinged circular backing plate to receive a patch of wallboard. Other patents that disclose wallboard repair means and methods include, U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,416, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,970, U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,429, U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,642, U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,861 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,263. So there has been no shortage of proposals. However, in most of these proposals, the repair means must be specially made, are awkward to use and/or leave the repaired spot weaker that the surrounding wall.
The present invention provides a simple to use, inexpensive system that leaves the repaired portion of the wall stronger than before damage and generally stronger that the remainder of the wall.